Revenue or access? Julie Wollman on why Pennsylvania universities are betting on out-of-state students

Pennsylvania universities are turning to out-of-state enrollments as a financial strategy to support their campuses amid local demographic declines, a trend seen strongly at institutions like the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State.

Penn GSE Professor of Practice Julie E. Wollman addressed the essential, if often unspoken, financial motivation behind this push in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

“No university likes to talk about the fact that [it is] really in the business of bringing in revenue,” said Wollman. “Without the revenue, you can't run the university.” As local applicant pools shrink, out-of-state recruitment has become an increasingly common strategy for financial stability.

This approach, however, brings political complexities. Joni Finney, former Professor of Practice at Penn GSE, points out that as state lawmakers observe these trends, they’re questioning the impact on local students. “It can create a real political problem… the state wants to know, ‘What are you doing for Pennsylvania students? Why can't my kid get into Penn State or to Pitt?’” she explained.

For regional schools facing even steeper enrollment declines, out-of-state recruitment isn’t just strategic; it’s necessary. Wollman notes that for many such colleges, “If you don't have students here, you have to find them somewhere.” Yet, competition for these students is fierce across the Northeast, adding further challenges to a complex balancing act between financial stability and local access.

Read more at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.